William O. Owen

William O. Owen standing next to Mount Owen in Grand Teton National Park, 1933 William Octavius Owen (1859–1947) was a surveyor and civil engineer. On August 11, 1898, William Owen organized the first ascent of Grand Teton, which at ) is the highest peak in the Teton Range, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Known by his nickname "Billy" even in adulthood due to his small stature, Owen served as the U.S. Mineral Surveyor for Wyoming and as U.S. Examiner of Surveys for the Department of the Interior until 1914. Owen was also elected as Wyoming State Auditor and served four years (1895–1899).

First documented ascent of Grand Teton In 1891 and again in 1897, Owen made attempts to reach the summit of Grand Teton, and was nearly killed on the second attempt. In 1898, a party of six sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Club managed to get four climbers to the summit on August 11 of that year. Langford and Stevenson are believed to have only climbed to the location of The Enclosure, even though some believe they made the first ascent to the summit. He scaled the Grand Teton again in November 1924 to celebrate his 65th birthday and found the records he left at the summit 26 years earlier. In 1927, the second tallest peak in the Teton Range was named Mount Owen in his honor.